The Thursday Murder Club

[AnneElliotfanclub]

Anyone else been to see this? Was really looking forward to it but rather disappointed by changes to the plot.

Trouble is , I’ve only read the first book and I had these actors in my head and it’s been blown apart!
Chris the detective was really badly cast. I had a much nicer person in my head for him , but not sure who !
Daniel mays is a good actor, but not who imagined as the detective !

Daniel Mays was good as Chris I thought? He’s def endearing.

I guess the house was messy as Bogdan was looking for his passport

yes so true about Joyce’s clothes. I think she would be more fashionable due to her love of M&S tho the knitted cardigan is what my grandma wears to be fair

I still haven’t seen it, but I think part of the problem with Joyce is that, in the books, she’s about 98% utterly ordinary, obsessed with cardigans and Costa, but much obviously ‘cooler’ people like Elizabeth and various villains/spies/criminals apparently find her fascinating and unreadable, though it’s never entirely clear why, apart from odd flashes of hard-headedness. I imagine that’s harder to convey on screen.

In the book I got the impression that Joyce has hidden depths and all her life people haven't realised this. I think I heard Richard Osman say that if she'd been born later, she would have been a doctor, but people like Joyce were dismissed and their talents not noticed. Elizabeth recognised Joyce's talents.

I loved the comment in the book where Joyce says, "I'm now one of those people who need to keep their mobile phones ON!" I loved this as I need to keep on to my parents that mobiles aren't just for turning on when they need to use them - maybe other people want to phone them. 😆

That was a good moment in the film - Elizabeth works out Joyce was a nurse and says ‘could have been a doctor’ in a different generation

Watched this with my daughter last night - we both loved the books. Felt the film was good if you haven’t read the books. A sort of gentle murder mystery with a good cast that isn’t too “thinky”. But for someone who has read the books I was quite upset by the plot changes especially Bogdan - if they are planning to continue the series I don’t really see how they can resolve this so that he goes on to have the role with Elizabeth, Stephen and Donna that he does in the books. We were so confused as to what the writers were thinking with it all. Also Bernard’s whole storyline with his wife and the storyline about the priest and the dead nun….. completely ignored. I also wish they’d had at least a few voiceovers from Joyce in a nod to her diary entries which I think really endeared her character to readers.

overall the film was ok but I think will be more enjoyed by non-readers as opposed to those who have read the books.

I enjoyed it for what it was but it absolutely has lost some of the cleverness off the book. The other books are much better so as well so here’s hoping

I agree about Chris. That was the second worst murder of character (after Bogdan's) that made me not like the film. He comes out almost as daft and a mere comedic relief while actually he and Donna make a good team and become friends. Where has that gone?

I don't agree 100% about Elizabeth and Joyce. It takes a while for them to get close - especially if they have 2 more films half-agreed on, they could have used that. We haven't seen the 'jealousy' over Elizabeth's relationship with Penny. We haven't see Joyce's attempts to get to her. We haven't seen much about book Joyce, overall!

Settled down to watch the film this afternoon. Probably SPOILERY.

I'm 30 minutes in and struggling to complete it. I decided to take it as a cartoon, American, kitsch interpretation of the books we know and love.

Coopers' Chase is just silly. I've always pictured it as your typical old country house (convent) with new-build bungalows in the grounds of a house now used as common rooms, offices, care home etc.

Ron and Ian are both badly miscast for me, and I have always pictured Anne Reid as Joyce and Bogdan as younger, broodier, sexier and quietly intimidating. Kingsley's acting was hammy and his eye contact all over the place.

Not Anne Reid, Lesley Manville.

I still haven't seen it, but I think you'd either have to have Joyce doing voiceovers throughout, in which case the whole film is narrated through her eyes (and via a lot of musings about back episodes of Taggart and cardigans and gluten-free baking), or omit entirely -- voiceovers are hard, and I think usually indicate some kind of problem with the film. You can't show something, so you have to infodump it via Galadriel recounting the entire history of Middle Earth over the credits, or whatever.

I was hoping Daniel Mays as Chris would be good. I would have said that character was easier to translate into film (than Joyce, who I suspect is impossible). He's a genuinely good cop, and even hard-bitten Donna, used to London policing, sees and respects that, and that he's a decent man, even when she's mocking his clothes and diet. But we're used to slightly doofus-y TV and big screen cops who are all over the place in their personal lives, but good at their job.

I found the film watchable, funny in places, but silly. The book was fairly light reading but not as silly as the film.
Coopers Chase was wrong. Joyce's clothes (and her apartment) were much too old-fashioned - women do not dress like that now. She should have been dressed from M&S or other mid-price brands such as Boden or Joules. Pierce Brosnan was the most miscast and his completely OTT behaviour at times, along with his ridiculous suit at the police station were completely unrealistic.
The story line changes are common when transferring from book to film, but it would have been easy to tweak it and make it much better.

I can't believe a Glenister, Ray Winstone, or Warren Clarke wasn't available to be Ron.

And I wonder if David Tennant was directed to chew the scenery quite so much, or if that's just how he acts now. He should have channelled his character from the Jilly Cooper series more!

I'm finding it quite hard to watch - I think it's the HD? A lot of it looks like the characters were acting against green-screen even when they must be on set/location.

I enjoyed the books but don't think they were very good. Ironically they seemed more like a written-down TV series than a book...

Was really looking forward to the film as loved the books. I listened to the audio books so Lesley Manville is 'my' Joyce and like someone else - I missed her little comments.

PB - great to look at, good comic timing but he's too smooth for Ron. Ray Winstone, Philip Glennister, even Robert Glennister would have been a better fit.

Several other casting niggles but my biggest disappointment - Cooper's Chase ! It's a bloody palace - what were they thinking ! Looks like they've thrown money at the project and hoped it would work, but it doesn't.

Started watching it last night and fell asleep barely half way through which says it all really.

Warren Clarke has been dead for quite a while but he would have been better.

Philip Glenister is a great call. Or twinkly Peter Mullan.

Why did they make Donna such a bumbling fool?

Donna was true to the book - that opening scene about window locks was pretty word for word. She grows over the books I think

Casting good but for - to join in the chorus - Roy. I like PB but he’s about as convincing as a former union firebrand as Helen Mirren would be playing Aretha Franklin.

Ben Kingsley is ok as Ibrahim, but not quite precise or self-effacing enough for my taste.

The rest is just an unchallenging, but enjoyable, book reduced in duration to an unchallenging, but less enjoyable, film.

I had expected more from the director Chris Columbus - he’s done Home Alone, The Goonies and Christmas Chronicles to name a few - I thought he’d bring charm and adventure - but totally failed despite such a strong cast.

I liked PB as Ron! I never thought Ray Winstone( as he’s not attractive).
Hopefully Bogdan still gets his relationship with Donna and Stephen.
Would have preferred a mini series.

I enjoyed it in a lighted hearted, entertaining kind of way, although I preferred the book.
Agree with pp about Bogdan and Chris, both totally miscast, especially Chris. Daniel Mays played him like a buffoon - similar to his character in Magpie Murders.
The apartments were enormous! Too over the top.

Yes! Chris in the books is self reflective, trying to work out where things have gone wrong for him. I suppose there's so many characters in the film that it's hard to give them any nuance, so maybe that's why Chris has been played in that way. I agree that he played the same character in Magpie Murders, and I didn't like the character in that either.

I'll hold my hand up and say I haven't read the books but, hopefully, they're a lot better than the film! It was basically a bunch of distinguished actors in search of a plot, and most of them were phoning it in (REG, I'm looking at you for a start).
Dame Helen did her very best, and Jonathan Pryce was touching. But the rest...... I mean, I love Pierce Brosnan, but this was not the role for him. And why would a left wing trade unionist want to live in such a poncy place? In fact, why were any of these very hale and hearty people in a retirement home? And how could they all afford it?

I'm sure the US audience will now imagine that all British pensioners live like thus 😂

@Cynic17 , in the book they live in a modern typical style retirement village - similar to the 1 Richard Osman's mother actually lives in.
For the film they decided to use Englefield House for the exterior and corridor shots and built the internal rooms at a studio using the House's proportions. The "orangery" used as the jigsaw room is totally fake and built for the film. Yes I guess it's for the US audience.